Meatless Monday – Sweet Potato Cranberry Bread

We can’t get enough sweet potato!! We love to eat them baked, fried, covered in marshmallows, or as a baked good! This delicious bread is perfect for this time of year, as the combination of sweet potato, tart cranberry, and incredible spices make this bread to die for! This recipe comes from our friends at MeatlessMonday.com, and was forwarded on to them from Andrea Myers of Andrea’s Recipes.

Serves 12

a little nonstick cooking spray, to prepare the loaf pan

1 (10 ounce) sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

3/4 cup dried cranberries

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf plan with a light layer of nonstick cooking spray.

Fill a 2-quart pot with 1 inch of water, add the sweet potato cubes and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the water boils, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Set aside the sweet potato chunks to cool. When the potatoes have cooled, mash well.

Fill a small bowl with hot water and soak the cranberries in the hotel water for about 10 minutes, or until they are plump and soft.

In a separate large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs into the butter sugar mixture, scraping down the sides in between each egg. Beat in the vanilla and mashed sweet potato.

Stir the flour mixture into the sweet potato mixture, taking care to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed. Pour the batter to the prepared loaf pan.

Transfer the loaf pan to the oven and cook for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife along he edges to loosen the bread. Turn the bread out onto the wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!